More Good Training

Time for another training video. Last Friday I deadlifted 405 pounds for 4 repetitions. It’s the first time I’ve handled weight over 400 pounds since 2001, when I set the New York State powerlifting record for my division in the Amateur Athletic Union. I plan to throw 425 on the bar in the next fortnight and go for a new record for 2 (having pulled 415 for 2 in the month prior to my first powerlifting meet).

In competition, I used a regulation straight bar. But I love the diamond bar because it doesn’t require me to drag 400 pounds over my kneecaps.

What’s crazy about weight training is that, as you start getting stronger and lifting heavier weights, new factors start to present themselves. For any deadlift over 300 pounds, any discomfort in my back and legs is overshadowed by the pain of the bar crushing down onto the skin and tissue in my hands. I had to learn a new grip style to cope with the heavier weight, which is why I over-rotate my hands on the bar before squeezing it and re-rotating them back to a natural position. This way I’m squeezing not just the bar but a flap of callousy skin that gets folded over by the twist. It’s just more physical material to hold onto.